The thin grey line
by TarisianAle
Summary: That thin grey line. The Katana family has always resided there, amongst the blurred lines separating perception, and reality. Some would say perception is reality. In this story, that is not case…
1. Chapter 1

Prologue:

It is the time of the Old Republic. The Sith have returned and war has broken out between the two super powers of the Galaxy. There are many stories that seem to drift around now days. From the never-silent streets of Nar Shaddaa, to the farthest reaches of the outer rim. Some good; others not so much. This story, however, resides right in between the two. That thin grey line between right and wrong. Now, let's put our empathy boots on for a minute and think about this. If you put yourself in another's position, most times you will come to understand them, and see that what they do is right in their own eyes. Even if It's wrong to someone else. Now, right and wrong are neither here, nor there. They're simply what a being feels in their heart they must do. That thin grey line. The Katana family has always resided there, amongst the blurred lines separating perception, and reality. Some would say perception is reality. In this story, that is not case…

Chapter 1

"I'm going to tell you this one time, and one time only…Turn around, and exit the facility." Security Chief Markin said, in a choked voice. It was hard to hear him over the tapping of rain on the roof of the Empire's Dxun research outpost. It was a small outpost, no bigger than a standard BT-7 thunderclap. (About the size of a sleeping rancor.)

"How about instead, you put that blaster up to your temple and pull the trigger."

Replied a much more aggressive tone coming from a shadow in the doorway. Security Chief Markin was a war hardened man. He did not take lightly to comments like that, and would rarely let someone get away with making them… let alone listen to them. Makin's right hand then began to raise his standard issue blaster pistol to his temple. You could see in his eyes how much he had fought, but remained powerless to the shadow's will. His bloodshot eyes were a permanent scar to the air. He glared at the figure for roughly 60 seconds, with a pistol to his temple. Fighting, and fighting, and fighting. Until the eventual _**Pop!**_

"I think that's a new record." The shadow proclaimed to himself, walking into the light of the research facility, now resembling a Chiss man. "Shame you couldn't hold it together another minute, buddy I was just starting to break a sweat." He said as he stepped on the once-proud imperial war hero's corpse, walking over him.

"Okay guys, you can come out now!" His, now very loud, voice echoed throughout the facility. He strolled arrogantly along the tile, waiting for a response. He wreaked of death, and by now the air had been tainted with his toxic presence. An echo of Markin's bloodshot eyes, still haunting the front door.

"Hello?! Yeah you! With the stealth generators! Let's go!" The chiss man continued to scream, cupping his hands around his mouth for 'added effect'. He paused… Turned, and within a half a second drew his saber and stabbed into the air. It's orange and red blade hung there for what felt like minutes, but was only a second before the corpse of a Cathar woman appeared around it. The room then came to life with security personnel. Ten or eleven, all vibroblades humming. They came at the Chiss with brute force, all attacking at once. The chiss, with a big smile on his face, threw his hands into the air and screamed "STOP!"

It was like someone had paused time. Every security officer stuck in a stasis-like effect. Unable to move, speak, or even breathe. "Now that you've calmed down, everyone give your neighbor a hug." The chiss spoke in a calm and controlled manner. The security team then, against their will, turned to one another and began stabbing each other with their standard issue vibroblades. Brother killing brother. A family having spent their whole lives training together, now ending each other. The Chiss watched, with a slightly entertained smirk on his face. The energy in this building will never be the same.

This dominator of minds now stalked the facility, checking doors, closets, any sign of anyone left living. Now that his fun was over it was time to complete his mission. He could sense a strong presence of life coming from a room in the northern corner of the facility. He quickly made his way to the door, practically breaking his nose on it when to his surprise it did not open. "Stupid." He mumbled to himself. A control pad was on the right hand side, how could he not have seen it? He began punching in a random series of numbers, to no avail. The door didn't budge. "I'm sure the security chief had an access card… And I'm sure it's a bloody mess…." He said under his breath shortly before kicking the control pad… Nothing happened. He kicked again, and again, and again and again until it was just a pile of components on the ground. "Hmmm." He said, "I was sure that would work." He scratched his head for a moment. Then scratched his thick black beard before stabbing his lightsaber into the lock mechanism on the door. It opened, only for him to find he had just stabbed the only scientist alive in the facility. "Stupid." He remarked, now not as amused.

The shadowy Chiss kicked the scientists body out of the way and began investigating the room he was in. He made his way to a kolto tank in the center of the room. Inside, a human woman slept suspended. She appeared to be about 24 or 25 years old. Bright blonde hair, light skin and a patch of freckles under her eyes. She appeared to have had some advanced cybernetics done. Two implants spanned across her face above her eye and under her jaw. The inscription on the tank read 'C3R4'. The chiss looked relieved "Ah, there you are Cera. Time to come home."

He stared at the controls of the kolto tank blankly. "Something about instability sending her into shock?" A few seconds go by before he thrusts his right hand through the glass, and throwing the woman on his shoulder in the same motion. Quickly grabbing her a scientists coat to preserve modesty. He made his way down the one corridor the building had, into the main area. Stepping on Markin once again on his way out. Stepping out into the rain, he felt something strange in the force. Something soothing and calm. Strange for the Onderon moon, Dxun is normally a place of suffering and hardship. The closer he walked to his ship, the more he felt it. Like a warmness in his cold soul. He kept walking, feeling more and more calm, euphoric even. He stopped to take in the moment, the rain, the wind, the call of the animals in the distance. The sun was out, strange for Dxun.

The chiss took one step forward, looking down, he saw a vibroblade piercing his stomach. He turned around, almost in slow motion. There stood a security officer, soaked head to toe in blood, eyes beaming. Looking through the chiss. He fell to his knees, dropping the woman from his shoulder. Looking down he saw her; Laying face first in a mud puddle in the pouring rain…. Helpless…. No…. He could still help her… He could still save her… The mind altering lord of the force channeled every ounce of his energy into strengthening the lifeless woman on the ground, no longer looking as magnificent. Looking more and more like a rotting corpse. He turned to the security officer, who was now also on the ground bleeding out. Still looking right through him. "I'm sorry." The chiss said, before everything went black.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

 _Ah, there you are Cera. Time to come home…_

 _Where am I?_

 _You're Alive…_

 _Who am I?_

 _It's time to come home Cera. Wake up…. Wake up Cera… Wake up. Wake up._

"Wake up. Come on now, I l know you're in there. Wake up." An elderly twi'lek woman shakes the body of a naked blonde girl lying on the jungle floor. "Come on now, that's it. Get up." The girl begins to open her eyes. They shine a very bright orange. Illuminating the darkness of the Dxun jungle at night. She immediately grabs her head in a violent motion, straining. Like someone had her head in a vice. She then lets out a loud, blood -girdling scream. Clenching her head in her hands, eyes shut but still tears raining down from them. Her voice cut through the night like a razor. "Shhh! You gonna wake somethin' up out here yellin' like that girl. You tryna get eaten'?" The elderly woman says frantically attempting to consul the girl.

After a moment of silence the girl finally opens her eyes again, not as illuminated as before, but no longer in evident pain. She attempts to stand, wabbling, trying to keep her balance. "Girl, you walkin' like a newborn Cannok. My name's Shardii. How you feel?" The elderly twi'lek woman laughingly asks.

"I've had better days. Just wish I could remember them. Where am I, and for that matter, who am I?" The blonde girl painfully answers. Still wabbling trying to put on a scientist's coat she found at her feet.

"Isn't it obvious?" Shardii responded. "You in the middle-a-nowhere, honey. Come on, let me take you to my hut. Get you some clean clothes and somethin' to eat in yo little skinny self." She wasn't really that skinny. She had a bit of thickness in her legs, Shardii was just a lot bigger by comparison. "And hurry. Who knows what you might've woke up with all that screamin'. Whatchoo doin' that fo' girl you're crazy, you know that? And another thing…" The elderly twiliek continued to ramble as she walked the blonde girl to her hut.

They walked about a mile through the thick jungle of Dxun, from the research outpost to the Twi'lek woman's secret hut. All the while the elderly woman rambling on and on about the same three things over and over. Cannoks, her husband, and rain. "It's always rainin', I tell him every day, it's too damn wet here. What we doin here? And every day it's the same old thing. He says 'oh baby, don't you worry. I get that Zakkeg skull, we gonna be rich.' Thang is, he aint ever gonna get that Zakkeg, cause they don't exist. All gone, extinct." She continued to ramble as they walked in the door of the rusted out, half buried construct she had been living in the past 25 years. "25 years!" She yelled, pointing at her husband who was sharpening a hunting knife on the kitchen table. "25 years we been here in this old smugglers den, I have to call a home. Always layin' out buckets for the rain comin' through cielin', which you still haven't fixed."

"Name's Marcus. Kill me." Her husband introducing himself, with the 'dead inside' expression permanently drawn on his face. The Twi'lek couple sharing the same red/brown skin tone, had clearly been alone with each other for way too long. "If ya need to freshen up there's a washroom in the back. If ya look around a bit you might be able to find some clothes from when Shardii didn't look like a gamorrean." He continued, now eye-murdering his wife. His wife eye-murdering him back. You could cut the tension with a log.

"Uhh, thank you?" The blonde girl replied, practically running to the washroom in the back without getting caught in the crossfire of shrude looks. Shutting the door behind her she noticed a medical bracelet on her wrist reading 'C3R4 Imperial Intelligence'.

 _ **C3R4? Who the hell am I?**_

 _ **Cera, It's time to come home.**_ A voice echoed through her brain.

 _ **Who are you?**_

 _ **Come home, Cera. Come home…**_ The voice faded out.

 _ **I am absolutely insane aren't I?**_ She thought as she took off the labcoat she had been wearing. Looking in the mirror she saw herself. Her hair was ridiculously long reaching the small of her back. She was covered in mud. She observed the cybernetic implants making their way from her neck to some parts of her face above her eyebrows and under her chin. _**Who am I?**_ She thought as she stared at herself in the mirror, trying to remember one glimpse of her past life. She noticed a scar on her lower right abdomen. _**I must've been fed through a tube. And judging by how long my hair is I was fed through a tube for a really, really long time.**_ She noticed a pair of rusty scissors on the counter and began cutting out large sections of hair. Two to three foot sections fell at her feet until she had cut it all just above shoulder length with her bangs just above her eyebrows. She could see her eyes. They glowed bright orange. She threw the hair in the trash and began taking a shower. Letting the water wash over her she felt warm. Comforted for the first time in no one knows how long.

She began to drift off until the door came flying open with Shardii squeezing her way in "I found ya some garments honey. These are from when I was about your age, let's see, hmm about 25 YEARS AGO!" Now aiming her head out the door to her husband in an attempt to rile him up. "They should fit ya nicely. Oh you cut that hair, oh that looks good girl. Whenever you're done in here I got supper cookin'!" Shardii exclaimed exiting the washroom.

After about 5 more minutes of letting the water run through her hair she dried her self off and put on the garment Shardii had brought her. It was an old layered grey dress reaching just below her knees. It was ragged and patched in places, but fit her nicely. She exited the washroom making her way down the hallway to the kitchen of the old hut. "Oh girl you lookin' good! Come on sit down at the table here I got dinner prepared. I bet you aint ever had cannok stew." Shardii excitedly remaked sitting down at the table next to her husband, who was still sharpening the same hunting knife. "What's you're name by the way, honey?"

 _ **Cera…**_

"Cera… I think. I don't remember anything, but I have this bracelet." She showed the medical bracelet to the old Twi'lek couple.

"C3R4 Imperial Intelligence?" Marcus read aloud with extreme shock in his voice. "Imperial intelligence. You're imperial intelligence? I'm not havin' any imperial intelligence in my home! Woman what you doin' bringin' imperials into our home?" Marcus turning to Shardii in a now violent demeanor. Shardii now backing into a corner with her hand over her heart, looking like she was about to pass out. "Are you imperial intelligence?" Marcus interrogated, grabbing his hunting knife from the table and making his way over to Cera.

"No!" She explained "I don't remember anything! I cant be intelligent if I don't know anything!"

"Don't you get cute with me little girl! Get out! Get out of our house! Now!" He screamed, chasing her out with his hunting knife. She ran out the door, not wanting to start trouble with the people who were probably responsible for her survival.

She ran out into the pouring rain with no destination. No clue of where she was. Only a violently angry twi'lek over 50 years old trying to chase her with a giant blade. So she ran into the night. She ran, and ran, and ran. Each step the mud squishing between her toes. It began to feel good. She ran faster, and faster. Her bare feet barely making a sound in the mud. She ran faster. A wild animal shrieks in the distance. She ran faster. _**Are those footsteps behind me?**_ She ran faster. _**Those are footsteps behind me.**_ She ran faster. _**They're getting closer. There's no way that old man is catching up to me.**_ She ran faster. She's practically flying, running at an inhuman speed. _**This isn't normal.**_ She stopped, no longer hearing footsteps.

She waited in the darkness. Listening. So much life, so much noise. Catching her breath seemed to have no impact on the background noise of the jungle. It was hard to make out a distant sound from a close one. No footsteps though. Just snarls and growls and rain blending together. She waited. Taking in the environment. Trying to make a plan on how to survive, short of climbing a tree and waiting till sunrise.

 _ **Cera…**_

 _ **You again.**_ She thought.

 _ **Cera, it's time to come home.**_

 _ **Is that all you know how to say?**_

"What do you want from me?!" She screamed into the darkness. A few seconds of silence passed before a rifle stock came smacking into the back of her head.

"Out cold." An unfamiliar voice said as she lay on the jungle floor, once again unconscious and covered in mud.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

"Don't be afraid. You're going to do great things." An Echani woman says, holding the hand of a little blonde girl. "Remember, just because you're not force sensitive, doesn't mean your potential is limited." She continues, her white hair blowing in the harsh Hoth wind. Her light blue eyes can't be made out from a foot away in the white blur of the snowstorm. Her robes seem to camouflage the environment. The only noticeable detail being the lightsaber hilt on her hip.

An Imperial shuttle touches down on a snow-covered rock. As the walkway comes down, a male Chiss walks out. His dark hooded robes countering the flurry of white. The storm has really started picking up now. There was something about the way he walked. He had a strong, but lighthearted demeanor about him. As he approached he removed his hood, letting the sting of the blizzard pierce his dark blue skin. His red eyes were easily visible through to storm. Everything about him was. "Hello, sister Krim." He yelled over the wind, offering a heartwarming smile.

"Hello, brother Rend. Not a big fan of the meeting place you've chosen." The Echani replied, sneering through the snow.

"You know how the Empire is, Krim. If a Sarlacc burps in the desert, they'll want to know about it." The Chiss replied. He knelt down to the little girl, now shaking in the snow. Her hand appeared frozen to her mothers. "Hello Cera. You probably don't remember the last time we met." She didn't say a word.

"Cera." The Echani said, kneeling down to her daughter. "This is Lord Rend, the man we talked about. He's going to take care you for a while. You need to trust him, and listen to his every word. He's a good man. He's one of us. He will keep you safe. Now go into his ship and get warm."

"Will I ever see you again?" The little girl asked her mother with tears frozen to her face.

"We will see each other again. I promise." Her mother replied, now holding the little girl tightly in her arms. "Rend will make sure of it. Now go." The little girl finally detached herself from her mother's arms and ran into the ship without question.

"You know this is what has to happen." The chiss said, now hugging the Echani woman.

"I know. I just hope everything goes as planned. The will of the force is constantly changing." She replied, drying her frozen tears on Rend's robes.

"I know. But I will make this happen. I promise. Do you trust me?" Rend asked, holding Krim by the shoulders.

"You know I do." Krim replied, as she watched him turn and enter his ship. The walkway rose with his Fury class fighter. A few more tears froze to her face as she watched him take off and leave the atmosphere with her only child.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

The morning sun peaks through the window bars of a holding cell. Tiny dew droplets run down the stone walls of the room. Cera lays unconscious on a mat in the corner of the room. Her eyes start to peak open. _**Wake up.**_

"Wake up!" A dark haired human man in mandalorian armor says on the other the bars of the makeshift prison. "Time for breakfast. Eat it." He says sliding a tray with what appears to be a tongue and eyeballs on it. "Enjoy cause that's all you get. "He remarked before walking away.

She stared at the tray in disgust. Her stomach was beyond rumbling. Without hesitation she closed her eyes and shoved all of it in her mouth at once. Barely chewing she swallowed sections of food in her mouth at a time. Some squishy, some popping. Once she finally swallowed it all down it came right back up. She aimed in a corner but failed to not get a little on her mud soaked dress.

"Fuckin' gross." Another mandalorian said just before housing down the entire cell with a high-pressure sterilization hose. Hitting Cera in the face and sides with powerful force, pinning her to the wall. "Nasty bitch." He said walking away with the hose. She grabbed the food tray off the ground and chucked it through the bars, hitting him in the back of the head. "You're dead" He said, dropping the hose before both mandalorians burst in the cell rushing her into a corner and stomping her repeatedly. There was nothing she could do. Another man came running in.

"Hey hey hey, what are you doing? What's the problem here?!" He came in grabbing both men by the necks and pulling them away from the cell. "What's going on here?" He asked both men. He was a dark-skinned man, and judging by his demeanor, was clearly the one in charge.

"She just attacked him. He had to defend himself." The dark haired mandalorian replied. "I wasn't going to stand and watch my comrade get hurt, so I of course helped him out."

"Is this the jungle girl?" The leader asked.

"Yes sir." The dark haired mandalorian replied.

"My name is Deth Kregg." He said, turning to Cera. "And it's you're lucky day. Come with me. All of you." He continued, turning and exiting the speeder-sized holding facility. Cera followed, the two men at her sides and Kregg in the front. When they walked out she could see an open field with small structures all around. They all had an older architecture. The grass was tall in most places. Some lower spots here and there. It all rested on a large hill encircled by jungle.

The morning sun was no longer out. It was cloudy and slightly raining. "We are the last remnants of the Da'Shaad Clan" Kregg continued as they approached a large sand circle. "We focus on all forms of martial combat that have been passed down to mandalorians for generations. Our leader, Karvin Da'Shaad believed it was the source of power and enlightenment in mandalorian life. It took 4 jedi to finally bring him down, after they'd executed his whole squad."

He went on. "It is your lucky day for two reasons. One being, you get to take part in our deep rooted tradition. Two being, I wont let them kill you. The Empire has posted a very large bounty on your head. And we intend to collect." He turned to the dark haired mandalorian. "This is Roy. Roy, get in the pit." The dark haired mandalorian walked into the pit and assumed a combat ready stance. "You want to fight my men? Now's your chance. Fight him."

Cera walked to the center of the pit facing the mandalorian. Still walking with a limp from the brutal stomping she had earlier. She raised her head and assumed a defensive stance. "Fight!" Kregg's voice rung into the wet air. Roy lunged at her with a hard right. She saw his fist coming straight for her face in slow motion. She felt a surge of energy. It was like someone had hooked her up to a generator. She dodged right and rolled behind him. Her eyes began to glow that bright orange glow. In the half second it had taken Roy to turn around, she had observed every weakness in his armor. Pinpointing the best spot for a strike. He turned with an uppercut that she easily avoided by back stepping. He jabbed, she back stepped. He hooked right, she back stepped. He hooked left, she rolled behind him, in the same motion jumping on his back putting him in a rear naked choke. Making sure to lock her feet around his stomach. _**How did I do that?**_ She thought.

Roy struggled, swinging his fists behind his head in an attempt to make contact and free himself, to no avail. She dodged his every swing. She pulled on his throat harder, and harder till she swore his head would pop off. Roy's face turning blue just before losing consciousness. She quickly let go as soon as he went out. She stood up and backed away from the mandalorian. By this point about ten more mandalorians had gathered to watch, two of them pulling Roy out of the pit. Cera stood in the sand catching her breath, the rain running down her face much harder than earlier.

"Mical, you're next." Kregg said, pointing to the other mandalorian that had stomped her into the cell corner earlier. Mical had lighter hair than Roy, but the two were obviously brothers. Everything else about them was identical. Mical confidently walked to the center of the sand pit with a smirk on his face. He quickly assumed a combat ready stance. Cera once again making a defensive stance. Kregg looking at the two, signaling their combat readiness, he again yelled "Fight!"

Mical was a big guy, like Roy, but his armor also had the same weaknesses. Cera quickly pinpointed three weak spots in the armor exposing his kidneys, his lungs and his throat. She made an attempt to strike all three in a second. She jabbed his kidney with her left fist, then his lung with her right. Going for the kick to the throat, Mical caught her leg, lifted and slammed her into the ground crushing her with his body weight. She felt like she had been crushed under a building, losing all feeling and use of her left leg. Still on top of her Mical's fist came at her face. She quickly moved her head to the right of his fist, in the same motion utilizing her leg still being on his shoulder to wrap it around his neck and pull herself out from under him. She rolled and positioned his arm under hers and wrapped it up with her legs. Once she had control of him she began twisting his arm. Twisting it harder and harder. Mical struggled for a couple moments before his arm eventually popped out of socket. Mical let scream loud enough to wake Karvin Da'Shaad. She then started to punch him in the face repeatedly.

Once she had taken a few of his teeth she let him go. By this time about 25 mandalorians had gathered around. This must've been the whole clan, there weren't that many buildings around. She turned to Kregg who looked dissapointed. "It's not over yet." Kregg said. "Finish him off." She turned to look at Mical who was attempting to fix his arm bleeding out the mouth and eyes in the center of the sandpit. She walked to the other side of the pit and got a running start. It didn't take but a few meters to be at a full sprint coming toward Mical. With the force of a Kath Hound Bull, she kicked him in the jaw with her bare feet. His head sprung sideways and he was out cold in the mud.

"Alright Kregg!" She yelled into the rain. "I've beaten your warriors. Now tell me about this bounty on my head!" Looking at Kregg she felt strong. Like nothing could beat her. _**I'm really starting to like this.**_ She thought. She could still feel the surge of energy running through her. It got harder to control by the second. Like an overloaded battery, ready to burst at the seams. She was invincible. _**It has to be these cybernetics. This can't be normal.**_

"You haven't beaten my warriors." Kregg replied. "Jorren!" He cocked his head and yelled behind him. The other mandalorians began to laugh and make room for a large man about six foot 7 inches tall who was making his way through the crowd. He had long black hair tied into dreadlocks, dark skin and smelled like guts. "Jorren here hunted you through the jungle, found you, and carried you fourteen miles to this outpost, killing every creature that would've done you harm, with you on his back. You could say you owe him your life. Now fight him."

When Jorren walked into what was now the mud pit his feet sank 6 inches. The storm was getting worse. Rain just bounced off his powerful chest. He wasn't even wearing armor. He just stood there, blankly, waiting to hear the word. "Fight!" Cera moved like lightning, striking with it. Attacking any weak point she thought would bring the man to his knees, enabling her to get a critical strike on him. Her punches and kicks bounced off the man. Nothing phased him. Before she had time to process it he grabbed her by the throat and lifted her as high as he could. She could see everything from here if the rain hadn't blurred her vision. She was being choked at such a height she feared being a conduit for a lightning strike. Jorren cast her face first into the mud with such force, Kregg could hear bones break twenty yards away. He knelt above her, beating her face into the mud over and over.

Once again time slowed down. He would lift his fist and she could see each rain drop hitting her eyes. When it came down, his fist was a size that blocked out all vision. Again it came, then the rain, then the fist, then the rain, and lightning and fist. She started losing vision as she could hear cybernetics breaking. "Enough!" Kregg yelled out. As Jorren stood he was pulling chunks of wire and cybernetic pieces out of his knuckles. He walked away casually, back to his day-to-day. Cera laid there in the mud, motionless. Her layered grey dress that Shardii gave her was ripped and torn in places, practically shredded at the bottom.

She lay there looking up at the sky. Any movement brought a wave of fire that scorched her whole body. _**How many times am I going to black in the mud on this planet?**_ The orange glow in her eyes grew dimmer. "Hey, you're alright. I told you I wouldn't let you die." Kregg's voice said, just before everything went black.


End file.
